Thankful for the Messes

This morning, after I sent Southern Hubby off to work, I scanned my kitchen and scowled at the messiness of it all. It soured me to know that my kitchen was a wreck from breakfast and that there were still dishes in the sink left over from last night's dinner and a full dishwasher.

Suddenly (and graciously) I was moved by Him, once again. I looked at my messy stove top and was moved to thankfulness. Thankful for the food we had to prepare that filled our stomachs, thankful for an employed husband to send off to work, thankful for an range to cook on, thankful for another glorious morning seen.

I didn't mind this unsightly cheese crumb. Because it meant that we were both the recipient of God's abundant love and grace.

I'm reminding myself not to focus on the material things of life. When I say, "I'm blessed," I'm not meaning because I have a nice truck in my garage or a roof over my head. It doesn't mean because I have clothes in my closet, or a laptop on which I blog. I'm blessed because I have friends and family, a sweet husband, two sweet dogs. I'm blessed because I have a heart for God and pursue him passionately. I'm blessed because I get to explore this world with an ever expanding heart filled with love for the people all around me.

I'm blessed because I'm starting to become thankful in all of life's messes.

Thankful Living: Week 5

Three moments from another week passed of thankful living.

Can we ever be thankful enough?

Week-ending Five

I AM THANKFUL FOR...

:: an adoring and always supportive husband::

:: the free grace that God gives all of us. it is not deserved, paid for in full, and blesses us each and every day::

:: the sour people that come into my life and force me to learn how to be gracious, teach me how to forgive, and remind me that I'm not perfect either ::

Lately.

This week has been kind of slow, so I apologize for the lack of posts. Here is what I've been up to lately.

Baking.

I adore baking bread. And Southern Hubby and I can't seem to get enough of this particular bread I've been making recently. I got the recipe from the Homestead Blessings: The Art of Bread Making DVD. I treated myself to a few of their DVD's recently and I love them. ;)

Puppies.

This little man warms my heart and soul. Even though in April it will be two years since we rescued him, he can still be a bit skittish, slowly poking his head around corners and jumping at the smallest sound. I often wonder what sort of hell he lived through at the puppy mill he came from. I can't say this enough, rescue, do not buy.

Working.

My 'Bama Bee necklace is not one of my most popular necklaces but it holds a special place in my heart. I got a couple orders for it this past week and I decided to use the typewriter font for the word 'happy' and I love the way it came out. Must make one for me now.

Crafts.

My youngest sister had her wisdom teeth out, so I bought a soft blanket from Target and embroidered it for her to take. (My sewing machine also does embroidery.) I took one (yes, I'm a scaredy baby) and it really comforted me and kept me warm when the anesthesia made me chilly.

And how was your week? :)

i feel a change comin’ on

At the moment I have a pair of these on order…

 

I’m totally in love with the fabric.  I’m anxious to see if I love it as much in person.  If I do, then Baby Chase may have a new nursery design coming his way.  Luckily everything that I’ve purchased for his nursery up to this point will either totally work with this fabric or is able to be returned. 

LiveJournal Tags: baby chase's nursery

Thankful Living: Week 4

In an effort to become more conscious of all the blessings of my life, I think I'll be joining Peggy, over at The Simple Woman in her Thankful Living series. If you don't know Peggy, she is the brain behind the The Simple Woman's Daybook- a weekly meme that gives you a sneak peek into other women's daily lives. Very interesting reading and pretty fun to fill out, too.

Three moments from another week passed of thankful living.

Can we ever be thankful enough?

Week-ending Four

I AM THANKFUL FOR...

::lunch after church with my husband and Life Group friends::

::warm and handmade socks to keep my feet happy::

::a clean bill of health (for my teeth!) at the dentist::

Stylish blogger award

I’m so excited because earlier this week Heather from Satisfying Spaces awarded me with the Stylish Blogger Award!  I’ve seen this little award floating around the blogosphere and was hoping that someone out there would pass it on to me.  So, a big thank you to Heather from me!!

Now for the fun part.  When you get awarded the Stylish Blogger Award you are required to share 7 things about yourself.  Some of these facts may be new to you and some you may have heard before.  Here it goes…

[I thought I would throw some pretty pics in so you wouldn’t get bored reading]

1.  I have the most amazing husband in the world, and I’m so fortunate that he “gets” blogging.  He’s actually the person who introduced me to blogs in the first place.  He had one before me.

{Love this office by the way}

2.  I’m pregnant with my first child.  William Chase Holcombe will be his name, and I can’t wait until he gets here in June.

3.  I grew up on a farm in rural Alabama in a town called Slapout.  Yes, you did read that correctly.  I did say Slap Out.

4.  One weird fact about me…I don’t like to eat the part of the sandwich that I hold.  So, most of the time there is always one tiny bite of a sandwich that I don’t eat.  Don’t ask me why I do this.  I couldn’t tell ya.

5.  I am ALWAYS cold.  It could be 90 degrees outside and I’ll probably still have chill bumps. 

6.  I’m extremely indecisive when it comes to designing my own home.  I don’t have a problem coming up with a design for someone else’s though.

7.  I don’t think a meal is complete without a piece of bread, but I could care less about dessert.

I’m passing the Stylish Blogger Award onto these 3 lovely blogs that I’ve been digging lately.  Check ‘em out!

All images – Martha Stewart Living

LiveJournal Tags: Stylish Blogger Award,Martha Stewart Living

baby chase’s nursery

So many of you have been asking about my nursery design for baby Chase, and I finally have something to show you!!  Billy and I are so excited about getting this nursery started.  So, this is my inspiration board.  Not everything shown on it will end up in the nursery, but I’m set on the overall look.  I’m about to make the crib purchase, and I’ve already purchased a vintage dresser that is very similar to the dresser on the board.  It needs a lot of tender love and care before it will look like the inspiration dresser though.  I’ve decided against the daybed and I’ll be using a glider instead.  It will give us a lot more room if we use a glider.  

I can’t wait to share more of the design process with you as I make my purchases.  Today I found this great lamp and shade at Target for only $26!!  That definitely beats the price of the Robert Abbey lamp on my inspiration board. 

And, you’ll never guess how much I paid for my dresser/changing table…thanks to my friend Dayka.  

Stay tuned for more on the nursery as the months tick on by. 

LiveJournal Tags: nursery,baby chase's nursery,robert abbey,target

Sweet Pudding Puff Pastries

As promised, here is the recipe for the sweets shown in my Romance Your Hubby post. Hope your man enjoys them as much as mine did! :)

Sweet Pudding Puff Pastries

Filling: Decide on what you want your filling to be and prepare that according to the directions. Keep it chilled in the fridge until your puffs are complete.

Pastry Puff Shells:

* Preheat oven at 400 degrees 

• 1 cup water
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt {I used salted butter so I left this out}
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 eggs {use three eggs and the only the egg white of another}

1. In a medium size pan combine water, butter, sugar and salt (if needed). Bring to a boil.
2. Lower temperature to low and add flour. Stir the mixture until it forms a ball. Transfer the pastry to your mixing bow. Let it cool completely. 
3. Once cooled (10-20 minutes) turn on the mixer and add one egg at a time. Keep beating the pastry until it is smooth and thick.
4. Using a tablespoon drop mounds of the dough onto a parchment lined sheet. 
5. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes and then lower the temp to 350 and bake for 25 minutes more. They should be golden brown on the outside and moist on the inside when done. Once cooled, split in half with a bread knife.

Lastly, fill with your pudding and enjoy! :)  

Yummy! Thank you to Aunt Ruthie for this recipe! :) Love her!! 

Romance your Hubby: Be a Sweetheart

credit

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, I thought I'd share some ways that I show Southern Hubby I care for him and adore him. Some of these tips may not even be outright showy, but doing them often will definitely make him feel loved.

Talk him up.
Remember as wives, we are to lift our husbands up! I make it a rarity, if ever, that I go to my girlfriends with husband woes. I want the world to see him as he is- a wonderful man, provider, and my best friend. They never will if all I do is complain that he never puts his clothes in the hamper, or he went out to happy hour with his work buddies last Friday.

Wine and dine him.
It isn't only us girls that like to be romanced. They won't often admit it, but guys want to be swept off their feet, too. Send him flowers at work. Make him a sappy CD full of loves songs that mean something to only the two of you and leave it on the seat of his car. Put a romantic note in his lunch. They don't have to cost a lot of money, just something to show that you're thinking about him.

The way to his heart.

It's through the stomach, right? ;) I love to cook and bake for Southern Hubby. The other day, I made him some puff pastries filled with pudding. It wasn't his birthday. It wasn't a holiday. I just did it. And it showed him I cared. {I'll write the recipe for you in my next post.}

Be silly and sponatenous.
Once, I bought a bunch of little gifts that I knew Southern Hubby would like. They weren't anything major and they didn't cost a fortune (think DVD's, a raquet for squash, golf balls, ect.) At the front door I left a note telling him he'd be going on a scavenger hunt! For each clue he found, he'd get a gift. Of course the big gift at the end was ME! :) The clues were goofy and silly and I tried my best to make them rhyme. But what counted was that I tried! So catch him off guard. Be spontaneous! Make it your own special day and he'll feel so loved!

Be touchy-feely.

This should go without saying, but in the hustle and bustle of the everyday, you forget to touch. Pinch his bottom or lay a big kiss on him (longer than 10 seconds, or it doesn't count!) Do anything you think that will let him know you still think he's the cutest guy ever!

Pray for him.
Whenever I give Southern Hubby a kiss goodbye for the day, I whisper in my heart a little prayer. I pray that he makes it to work safely. I pray that he has a good day. I pray that he finds a minute to be with God. I pray that work is gratifying to him. I mainly just pray for him. I do it because I love him. He doesn't even have to know about this one. But do it because it reminds yourself that he is one of your most treasured earthly possessions.

                         **********

Of course, these tips won't work for everyone. When we read, "The Five Love Languages," I found out that Southern Hubby's love language is Acts of Service. He feels most loved when I do the thing that need doing, when I'm not being lazy around the house. He likes to feel taken care of. Well, being a housewife, I think that should be pretty easy! But sadly, I can get lost in doing things for the house and not necessarily him.

I'd encourage you to find out what you and your husband's love languages are and work towards developing habits to show him you love him. You can both take the test here.

Have fun! :)

Thankful Living: Week 3

In an effort to become more conscious of all the blessings of my life, I think I'll be joining Peggy, over at The Simple Woman in her Thankful Living series. If you don't know Peggy, she is the brain behind the The Simple Woman's Daybook- a weekly meme that gives you a sneak peek into other women's daily lives. Very interesting reading and pretty fun to fill out, too.

From what I gather, the rules are to list weekly three things you are thankful for. If you'd like to link up, you just list your blog post in her comments section. Pretty simple, right? Here we go...

Three moments from another week passed of thankful living.

Can we ever be thankful enough.

Week-ending Three

I AM THANKFUL FOR...

::a good friend that joined me at my weekly women's bible study::

::inside jokes with friends::

::the rare snowfall we got in Texas that stuck around::

Valentine's Decor: Chalkboard Edition

Yes, I know it's only January. But I put up a few Valentine's decorations. {Heavy stress on a few!} I put just a couple things throughout the house. I definitely don't do it up for holidays other than Christmas and Thanksgiving.

Indulge me if you will...

I got this ceramic plate from Hobby Lobby and painted the center with chalkboard paint.  I weaved some red plaid ribbon through it, wrote a cutesy message on it and called it good. :) I had the ribbon and paint already Total price: $3 for the plate

Here's yet another chalkboard that I always change with the seasons. I got this one at Hobby Lobby, too. It comes pre-made so I just stained, then distressed the wood around it. Easy  peasy. {Did I ever mention how in love and addicted I am to chalkboards?}

Of course I use the chalkboard markers. They come off easy with the Magic Eraser and look so much cleaner than regular chalk.

Total price: $5 for the candle from Hemispheres; the frame I already had

Like I said, I definitely don't do it up big. But, I've got a couple more little decorations I'll post soon.

Do you have anything Valentine's Day related up yet? Have a good weekend!

2011: Words to live by

Seriously loving this quote from the latest Lonny issue.  Enjoy the quote and have a lovely weekend!

“I’m often asked to point out trends in home decor, and my simple advice for 2011 is to figure out what you really love and donate everything else.  Be confident in your taste and make small changes to amplify your style.” 

~Michelle Adams, Editor in Cheif

  {all images – Lonny}

LiveJournal Tags: quote,michelle adams,lonny magazine

A New Job

I've got some exciting news! OK, so it's not really a job, per say, but I'm jazzed about it nonetheless.

I've been asked to become a contributing writer to At the Well: In Pursuit of Titus 2. If you haven't visited this wonderful website, you really must head over there.

There are lots of practical advice tips from being a better wife and mom to folding the dreaded fitted sheets. {Seriously, who can do this?!}

Since I'm not a mama, I'll be writing for the "Reflections on the Home" section. This is my domain and specialty! :) Here you'll find lots of posts from the past and a couple of new ones, too!

I do love this website. Over the years as a blogger and homemaker, it's sort of been an old friend I could could drop in on for help in certain things I was going through. It gave me a spiritual perspective on life issues and I appreciated it so much. And I sincerely pray that you find lots of wisdom and love in the articles, too.

So, join me over there, will you?! :)